I was thinking of a series of dreams

What a day I had in East Brunswick again. Great school!
I saw the difference it makes when administartion and principals actually have respect for thier students. Respect comes from the top down and school audiences are a reflection of thier teachers and principals. And these students were so cool. I was also taken out to lunch by Churchill SAC’s Sharon and Jane after sitting in on a group discussion. It was a group of students who had some pretty tough times and things weighing down on them. I was really moved by thier stories and the thoughts of how cruel some people can be….and how hard life can be….Man those thoughts really have stuck with me. Sharon and Jane work seemingly so effortlessly to create a safe and caring enviroment for someone in that school to talk…and get help. Hats off to them for the ongoing tuesday afternoon discussuion group. I was honored.

I Read something really convoluted and funny the other day. The president talking about Social Security. Read this transcript
and scroll down to the social security question… and be careful not to negotiate with yourself :-

Also the Dirt Music store is OPEN! A lot of people ask me about music from the show and what kind of stuff inspires me.
View! Listen! Download! Go to my itunes page here

And later on as the crowd thinned out…

Mr. Morello,

Thank you so much for your show.  I saw it in Woodstown, NJ on Monday December 13th, and it was one of the most powerful performances I’ve ever seen.  As a huge fan of theatre and live entertainment in general, I was pleased to hear about an assembly that was actually a performance, and not a lecture.  Your portrayal of the various characters both made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes.  After the assembly, I noticed evidence that “Dirt” is really something special - people were actually talking about it.  Normally, we have a presentation in school, and people watch, often numbly, not allowing themselves to be truly affected by what they are seeing and hearing.  However, after seeing “Dirt”, students at my school were discussing the show, and actually admitting that we liked it, and it touched us.  Thank you for bringing us such an original, entertaining, and truly meaningful show.

Sincerely,

L.

A senior at Woodstown High School

When I’m all alone In the great unknown, I’ll remember you.

A young marine saw the show the other day and spoke to me afterwards. He was reflecting on life and friends in the past. He wrote a cool poem about an old friend and I told him I would post it here.

Then they bury him with stars, Sell his body like they do used cars.

Read this disturbing news from the AP

Read it. Think about it. It affects us. Talk about it.

Some blunt statements to consider whether you support the war or not:

If our troops are not well supplied they wil die.
If elections in Iraq are held prematurely and incorrectly then there WILL be a civil war.
If there is a civil war we are looking at 6-8 more years of involvment.
That means your money will be spent on 6-8 more years of war.
That means that the cool kids with the beautiful minds and glowing spirits that I meet everyday in schools WILL be going to war.
That means that 10-20 percent of all of those kids who go to war will come back as an amputee or a corpse.

Let us deal truthfully with these issues that affect us by letting the people that get their paychecks from us know how we feel. We are thier boss!
Write your congressman or senator and let your voice be heard. Anyone can put a sticker on thier car and SAY they support the troops. Support is more than words its action. In this case, you can let your support be action with words.

“She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind, She put down in writing what was in her mind”

Dear John,
You brought your performance of “Dirt” to my high scool today, West Morris Central. Not only did I find your performance hilarious, but I found it equally moving. I do not know or have ever known anyone with a serious drug addiction, for which I am very thankful. While I have never personally experienced this, I understand the severity of the drug problems in America and I’ve seen the statistics of those lost on a daily basis. To lose a friend or family member to drugs is a pain I can’t even imagine. Though I couldn’t really relate to these drug issues, I could easily relate to the pain of your characters. You portrayed pain with such a beauty in their struggles, that I was not only moved, but inspired. I wrote a poem for the way your show moved me.

It’s not just the war we’re fighting
over land and over sea,
it’s the war we’re fighting here
to find who we want to be.
Where there’s drugs up on the front lines
attacking those who get too close,
and here death’s not by gunshots
but what kills is overdose.
The drugs these brilliant soldiers take
to numb the searing pain
are the armies of a killer
that cannot be restrained.
And broken here we stand among
the lines we cannot cross
and though they say we’re fighting it,
each day brings more loss.
There’s pain in every corner
and there’s fear in every heart,
we try so hard to battle it
but this war’s tearing us apart.
It stings us and it burns us
and it brings us to our knees,
if only we could conquer it
and make the aching cease.
But the soldiers on the front lines
that battle these addictions
are bruised and battered fighters,
and in them we find the victims.
We find among these victims
some have lost the will to fight,
they surrender to the enemies
to end their pain tonight.
We will for them to hold out
and pray they’ll struggle on,
for it’s no good to give up now
after fighting for so long.
We will fight for justice
and we’ll rally to find peace;
We’ll riot for the soldiers
until we find them a release.
We’ll end their pain and suffering
for it’s worth fighting for,
because every day’s a battle
in this never ending war.

Thank you for the inspiration.

S.